About viviankirkfield

Writer for children - Reader forever - Mom of 3, educator, author of FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN: AN ANIMAL COUNTING BOOK (PomegranateKids, PIPPA'S PASSOVER PLATE (Holiday House), SWEET DREAMS, SARAH (Creston Books); MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: THE INSPIRING FRIENDSHIP OF ELLA FITZGERALD AND MARILYN MONROE (Little Bee Books); FROM HERE TO THERE: INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAY THE WORLD MOVES (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Jan 19, 2021); PEDAL, BALANCE, STEER: Annie Londonderry, First Woman to Bike Around the World (Calkins Creek/Astra, Feb 20, 2024) picture book junkie, lover of travel, hiking, fly-fishing, cooking, and playing Monopoly with my grandson.

Super Foods for a Super You in 2011

Posted on January 1, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Image via Wikipedia

Next time you are shopping in your local supermarket, think about putting some of these super foods in your cart. Each one on the list provides important health benefits for you and your family.

Apples
Avocado
Beans
Broccoli
Carrots
Cinnamon
Dark Chocolate
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic
Honey
Kiwi Fruit
Low Fat Yogurt
Oats
Onions
Oranges
Pineapple
Pomegranates
Pumpkin
Soy
Spinach
Tea
Tomatoes
Turkey
Walnuts
Wild Salmon

If some of these foods are unfamiliar, why not resolve to try a new food every week. There are many online recipe sites you can go to: http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Main.aspx and http://www.foodnetwork.com/ are two excellent sites to start at. Your local library probably has a wonderful selection of cookbooks that you can borrow for free. Of course, there are some people who just LOVE cookbooks (like me and my sister) and enjoy collecting them because we love seeing how many ways there are to make a particular dish. If reading this makes you smile in recognition, a trip to new and used bookstores, as well as garage or tag sales can result in finding a cookbook treasure.

How about a dinner menu that’s beautiful to look at, delicious to taste, and contains several of the super foods…so you know it will be bursting with health benefits for you and your family. Let your children help you prepare the meal and you will reap several other benefits: fussy eaters often eat what they have helped prepare and children gain confidence and develop competence when they master kitchen tasks and skills.

GRILLED SALMON WITH ORANGE SLICES

You will need: 1 lb salmon fillet, 1 Tb olive oil, 1 Tb dried dill (you can substitute basil or thyme), 1 Tb honey, 1 orange

Wash the salmon fillet and pat dry with paper towel.
Mix the olive oil, honey and dill in small bowl and brush some on the salmon, reserving the rest for basting.
Heat the grill and place the fillet, skin side up, on the grill.
Grill on low for 5 minutes, turn and baste with the oil/honey/dill sauce.
Grill an additional 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.
Slice the orange and use it to garnish each serving of salmon.

This should feed 4 people…add some steamed broccoli and multigrain rolls for a Super Food Extravaganza!

Tomorrow…some more reasons to serve your family Super Foods…and the best Carrot Cake recipe ever!

Baking with Preschoolers: Easy-Peasy Gluten-Free Overnight Cookies

Posted on December 28, 2010 by viviankirkfield

When my children were young, one of their favorite places to be was in the kitchen, helping me prepare meals and snacks. Even though there might have been some additional cleanup…it was definitely worth it…for me and for them.

If you are looking for a simple cookie recipe with just a few ingredients, this is it.

If you are not great at measuring ingredients and, like me, you need a recipe that is very forgiving, this is it.

Overnight Cookies

You will need: 2 egg whites, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 cup ground almonds, 1 cup raisins, 1 large bowl, 1 mixer, 1 greased cookie sheet.

1. Beat egg whites in bowl till stiff peaks form. (Your little ones will LOVE watching how the liquidy egg whites turn to stiff cream)

2. Add 1/4 sugar and fold in gently.

3. Add ground almonds and raisins and fold in gently.

4. Drop by tablespoonsful onto the greased cookie sheet…I use a canola oil spray. If you want a smaller cookie, use a teaspoon.

5. Place the cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven and bake for 5 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cookies in at least an hour…or overnight if you wish.

6. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen, more or less, depending on the size cookie you make.

This cookie is so easy to make and it always tastes delicious and it is so very nutritious. Kids especially love the idea of waking up in the morning to cookies fresh out of the oven. Because they are so healthy (and gluten free, come to think of it), you could probably let them have one or two with breakfast.

Happy New Year to All!

Contests – Alive and Well in Cyberspace!

Posted on December 27, 2010 by viviankirkfield

When I was a little girl, there were a few contests around that you could enter and a few shows on TV (most families didn’t even have one) where people could win money and prizes like Queen for a Day and The $64,000 Question…nothing like the contests and shows that are around today where a person can win millions of dollars.

I never realized that there is a whole world of contests out in cyberspace and I am glad to say that there are many moms (especially stay-at-home ones) who not only enter these contests and win prizes for their families, but they also broadcast the news of the contest to others. In order to enter the contest, one has to leave a comment on their blog or website and, for additional entries, you can tweet about it or post it on your Facebook page. I think it is wonderful, especially for those who are not able to get out and about much.

Today I was responding to someone who is now following me on Twitter and I discovered a contest with a fantastic prize…offered by Target to promote their support of reading and literacy program. Kudos to you, Target. It is great when big companies take some of their profits and return them to the community. So I am providing the link to the site where you can enter to win. Best of luck, everyone. I’ll try to pass along other worthwhile contests when I find them.